The Search

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For my Humanities class, we meet once a week to discuss and share our views on a specific topic assigned. Each topic is connected to the notion of the "good life", a phrase I have mentioned several times in my earlier posts. To prepare for these discussions, we watch videos, read articles and/or speeches that are related to the discussion topic which we can be brought up and connected to our explanations as well as our lives. So far, one of my favorite discussions revolved around a controversial question most of us have pondered at least once in our lives: What is the meaning of life? On Wednesday, September 9th 2015 my Humanities class was discussing the meaning of life (as I mentioned before) and what we think the meaning of life is. It was very interesting to see how most interpretations reinforced and/or overlapped others. However, the meaning that resonates with me the most takes more of an existentialist approach to the world. Since I can remember, I have always believed that we are in charge of our own fate. Like mirrors, our actions are reflected through our accomplishments which means what we do, regardless of where we go to do it, is what defines us and develops our purpose in life. We do not necessarily find meaning to our life; we choose it ourselves but we do discover what to instill to the meaning. We choose our purpose and what we ways we contribute to that purpose in order to make it meaningful to us. However, a purpose does not have to be just one purpose. The purpose itself can have purpose like a "domino-effect." Sometimes there are unexplainable coincidences that make it seem like the universe is either with you or against you, but what matters is what one does with such an opportunity whenever that occurs. In a way, life is meaningless as one of the article discussed. We must participate in the world because it is such participation that keeps the heart of the world beating even if that means we must suffer and sacrifice within the process of getting to where it is we want to go to. This view connects to my first post about how through pain, we can achieve a sort of balance that is necessary to appreciate the goodness in our lives and how chaos can be viewed as more of a challenge than a burden.

The meaning of life is not one but many definitions. We instill meaning to our lives based on our experiences, values, beliefs, and other elements that mold the pathways to our pursuit of happiness. However, I believe that this path is not necessarily a straight and fast lane but more like a jarring road with sharp turns, bumps, and detours because as our surroundings change, we change with it. We have the power to believe in what we choose to believe in, deciding how to enrich these passions and beliefs, and which parts of our lives contribute to the purpose we assigned ourselves. With such an ability, we obtain freedom and freedom is having the right to be alive as autonomous individuals that chart the courses of their lives.